Food manufacturers need to ensure that the cleanliness of their production lines is maintained to the highest standard to avoid contamination of product. Aseptic drives are carefully designed for applications where regular washdowns are required to maintain a clean environment. The motor is designed so that a fan and cooling ribs are not required, thereby allowing for a completely smooth outer casing with a non-drive end which is sealed. This eliminates any dirt traps on the motor casing and also prevents re-infection of the local environment caused by air movement from a cooling fan. The design also includes a very high level of ingress protection, up to IP69K, which is a special designation for washdown applications involving high pressure, high temperature water. In addition, the aseptic drive is painted using an acid and alkali resistant formula, which can withstand chemicals with a pH range of 2 – 12. As a result the new drive system can withstand the cleansing solutions and disinfectants that are commonly used within the food industry without affecting its performance. A combination of aseptic motor/gearbox packages has been developed with variable frequency drives (VFDs) to enable a very efficient package to be installed. The majority of the drives use 0.75kW motors, with some smaller 0.55kW units and most of these, nearly 80%, are coupled to the BK20 hollow shaft bevel gearboxes. When installing a large number of motors onto a production line, it is important to maintain high energy efficiency so that the return on investment can be minimized. All of the aseptic motors from Bauer are rated IE3 energy efficiency class and when combined with the VFD they can deliver optimum energy consumption and running costs. By designing a system with a large number of common components, the engineers were also able to minimize the spare parts inventory while still ensuring the most energy efficient and reliable design. In addition to this, the motor itself is equipped with thermistors and class F insulation, which makes it suitable for control by VFD and the thermistor connections are combined with the motor connections in a stainless steel, round connector which allows quick and simple motor connection while still maintaining the hygienic aspect of the design.
Read more

Calcipur
Omya’s high purity calcium carbonate portfolio is suitable for a wide variety of functional foods. Thanks to its high elemental calcium content of approximately 40%, Omya Calcipur is one of the most concentrated sources of calcium in the market. That makes it possible to use up to five times less of this ingredient than other available technical solutions while achieving the same calcium dose in a finished foodstuff. Fields of application include baby products, vegan drinks, bakery produce, snack bars and breakfast cereals. Depending on the dosage used, calcium-related claims can be made on pack. One of the main advantages of Omya Calcipur is the low dosage needed for supplementation, resulting in reduced costs and less impact on the sensory profile of the final foodstuff . Comprising different grades of natural calcium carbonates, Omya’s portfolio enables manufacturers to produce the best possible results in terms of nutrition and taste. Demand for calcium is expected to grow in the coming years. Because of demographic changes and aging populations, experts predict that the number of people suffering from osteoporosis will increase significantly. But it’s not just the elderly who can benefit from calcium fortification. An increasing number of consumers are omitting dairy products from their diet. Offering functional foods that remove the risk of developing calcium deficiency disorders is, therefore, an important task for the food industry.
Read more

Composed of PX and Fillstar FX
A new aseptic dual filling system, suitable for the bottling of both high acid and low acid still beverages containing pulps, fibres and pieces of fruit or cereals with dimensions up to 10x10x10 mm, is available from GEA Procomac. The uniqueness of the system is that the line is composed of two different fillers: the new aseptic piston doser PX for solid particles with set volume from 30 to 150 mL and the volumetric electronic filler Fillstar FX, an industry standard for aseptic beverages filling. After container treatment the filling is realised in two steps: once the solid particles are dosed the clear product is added. The dual fill system requires a two stream process line: one dedicated to the thermal treatment of the pieces and the other to the thermal treatment of the clear liquid. The system is suitable for bloc configuration with both wet and dry sterilisation systems.
Read more

An allergen-free route to colourful beverages
DSM Nutritional Products introduces β-carotene 10% Emulsion Red for improved performance in food and beverage applications. Offering manufacturers an allergen-free route to colourful beverages, the new easy-to-use liquid emulsion product is suitable for vegetarians and designed to appeal to a wide range of consumers. At low concentrations, β-carotene 10% Emulsion Red offers pinkish pastel shades which become a strawberry red colour at higher dosage rate. β-Carotene 10% Emulsion Red is process stable, has excellent colour stability and superior resistance to ringing in beverage applications. It contains no ingredients of animal origin and is not derived from potential allergen sources, for enhanced regulatory compliance and consumer acceptance.
DSM Nutritional Products’ carotenoid portfolio also includes CaroCare® Nat. β-Carotene 10% CWS Star – a high performance and natural-source β-Carotene formulation for the colouring and fortification of food and beverages. The benefits of the CaroCare range include ease of use, guaranteed colour intensity and superior stability for enhanced product appearance.
Read more